Personally, I have a very comfortable lifestyle here in Panama and better than what I had in the US, because in the US, my husband and I never had the money to travel, except to go see our kids or family because they are more important to us. So we took all the extra funds we had to drive five hours to Houston, five hours to Oklahoma, or whenever we had to travel and however many hours away it was.
Here in Panama, we can drive an hour and a half to go to a beach on the Pacific or three hours to go to Bocas del Toro, which is on the Caribbean. We can drive two hours and go to Las Lajas and enjoy a lovely little resort down there that is just so perfect to be at.
Here in Panama, we can just enjoy life on a different level. We go out to eat almost every Saturday with good friends. Many times we go out with friends for an evening meal. We go out more and yet I also like staying at home here. Where I live now, in Boquete, Panama, is my favorite place to be. This is my little castle – this little condo community. I enjoy it so much. I can tell you that we could not survive in Texas on the same budget, and yet on the same income, we have a better life here in Panama.
If you have a problem, and you need to see a doctor here, you pay an initial US $20 to $40. After that it’s just $15 or $7.50 depending on which doctor you see. If you need to get a prescription and you cannot get it from a provider in the States, they will work with you here. My husband, Arne has reduced his medicine to less than a third of what he was taking, which also saves money. You can get a blood test done and an INR for $6 here in Panama.
Food is affordable. You don’t have to have heating or cooling here in Boquete because the temperature is moderate year round, so that is a huge savings. You will get a comfortable and affordable lifestyle here.
The reliability of electricity in Chapala and Ajijic depends on the area where you live. Some areas in Chapala and Ajijic are new developments and gated communities and I refer to some of them as very well constructed and they’re my favorite places to live and are located in west Ajijic. 
Yes, there is good fishing in Granada, Nicaragua. You can fish on the Lake Granada (also called Lake Nicaragua). You can take a boat and go out to the lake and go fishing. You can catch guapote, which is the local name of the fish you can catch on the lake. Guapote is the fish that you eat in restaurants in Granada. It’s very good. There are even fresh water sharks in the lake, too. 
I felt sweaty, and my left arm was sore - I thought it was because: A) I live in the beach area of Panama, and B) I had scrubbed the sides of our swimming pool yesterday. However, even after sitting in the air con with a fan, and I was still sweating profusely, I Googled: "Symptoms of a Heart Attack" The final symptom struck home: An overwhelming feeling of doom". 
